1959 MG MGA

I had never thought of parting with my beloved MGA before this summer, but I am finally ready for a new classic. I currently own two classic cars that need to be driven and loved and I only have time and space for one such car. I want to clear my garage space for a new and different classic car. I am currently listing both my 1959 MGA and my 1983 Porsche 928. Both are enthusiast owned and have been well maintained. They can be purchased together for a reduced price. This listing is for the red, 1959 MGA 1600 Roadster.

This MGA has always been garaged and can be driven worry-free right back to your garage regardless of distance.

Please follow the link below to view my google photo album. The photos tell more of the story of the car than the words below:

I bought this car in 2009 after it underwent a cosmetic and mechanical restoration by a professional in Naples, Florida. I bought the car sight unseen from eBay motors and drove it back to New Orleans with no problems whatsoever. I have taken great care of it ever since and it has always remained garaged in New Orleans. The car is in great shape and people love the car wherever it goes.

It currently has about 95k miles on the odometer. It is a 4 speed manual transmission. 1959 is the best year for the MGA because it has the 1600cc engine and the desirable vertical taillights. This particular car is well appointed with painted dark grey wire wheels, with a fresh, bright red paint color, matching dash and black interior.

The good:

It is in great mechanical, electrical, and cosmetic shape. It is probably not going to win any concours events, but it is far nicer than a driver grade car. This is a well maintained and well-loved car that is ready to provide a lot of fun for a relatively small amount of money right away to its new owner. The paint looks great, the vinyl seats look great, and the engine runs and sounds like it should. The transmission shifts smoothly and the brakes are tight. It is hard to believe this car is almost 60 years old. It starts up right away, sounds great, feels fast, and doesn’t have any electrical gremlins. This car is incredibly easy to maintain and just needs regular exercise to keep it running well.

The not so good:

The parking brake doesn’t work, but this has never bothered me as New Orleans is flat and you can leave the car in gear if on an incline.

The tires should probably be replaced. They were last replaced in 2009 and should be replaced if you are intending on doing a lot of highway driving. I use this as an around town car, so I haven’t bothered replacing them.

There is a radio, but it is non-working. It is an antique and the after-market antenna fell off the car in 2012. Again, it never worked to begin with and who needs a radio when you have the sound of a revving antique engine to listen to.

The front grille, which is made up of 26 vertical metal slats, has 2 vertical slats that are slightly bent from an unfortunate drunk (other guy) parking incident in the Vieux Carre. It was dark and I didn’t notice it at the time. It hasn’t bothered me since, but the new owner can probably bend them back into shape.

A little more recent history on the car:

Last summer, I spent over $1,500 on extensive brake work, tuning, and engine refreshing done by an enthusiast owner automotive repair shop who is a member of the British Motoring Club of New Orleans (BMCNO). I have performed most of the routine maintenance myself over my past 6 years of ownership. There is an active club of other local British car enthusiasts in the New Orleans region.

I repainted the rear trunk panel and rear panel at Delgado University in the spring of 2011. This was a class made up mostly of other BMCNO members and the instructor is a specialist in bodywork for classic Jaguars in New Orleans. This work was done correctly and it shows.

I removed the convertible top in order to gain more storage space behind the seats, but have the after-market vinyl convertible top that came with the 2009 restoration and can re-install it if you wish. There are no side curtains included with the car.

I have a Moss car cover as well. I have a full factory workshop manual for the car and Hayne's Manual that I will include with the sale of the car.

The Louisiana title is clear and in hand. You are more than welcome to come to New Orleans to see the car, drive the car, and kick the tires. These cars are appreciating in value, check recent ebay sales, and they cost very little to keep running.

Evening is the best time to reach me for a phone conversation, but I will respond to emails throughout the day as I have time.

Although a sale is preferable, I will consider trades, especially for a trade involving both my 1983 Porsche 928 and the 1959 MGA (also listed by me on ebay). I'm looking to trade my 2 classic cars for 1 classic car, so please no trucks or motorcycles. I am really interested in a trade for 1987-1989 Porsche 911 Targa, but all other interesting car trades will be considered.

I've done my best to describe all the good and the bad about the car. The car is in great working order and I wouldn't hesitate to drive it home anywhere in the US. I am happy to help with shipping and am available to answer any other questions you might have. I am certainly a car guy and am always glad to talk cars.

The vinyl top is black, it was new when I bought the car in 2009, but I removed it around 2010 due to theinconvenienceof putting it up and down. I really only drive it when the weather's nice, so not having a top has never been aproblem. It did suffer one 3" x 1/4" tear near it's rear base during its use somewhere around 2009-2010. It has been hanging in my garage ever since and is dusty, but it can be cleaned and will work well. The vinyl top was new in 2009, but the metal frame components look original to me and are is in working condition.

Condition of tonneau?

The tonneau is also black and vinyl. It too, came new with the car in 2009 and the tonneau was purchased from Moss Motors. It is in proper working order. The top of the tonneau looks impeccable, but there was a small 5" diameter paint spill on the bottom side of the tonneau cover. I've never bothered replacing it because it is impossible to see when the tonneau is folded or on the car.

Do you have a car cover besides the tonneau?

I do have a Moss Car Cover that I purchased in 2010. It is cloth and was used on and off again from about 2010-2012. The car was garaged and covered during that time, but lately my garage has stayed clean enough and I've been driving the car enough where I haven't felt like covering it. The cover is yours with the sale, but it could stand a good cleaning. I also have a Haynes Manual and the non-original owner's manual. Also included would be the copper hammer for the knock off wheels, a jack, and the wire wheel spare.

Was the car repainted in the 2009 restoration? Do you have any pictures of it before painting from the previous owner? If not, were you able to find out about accidents and rust repair? Is the welting painted instead of metal?? Why did you have to do a repaint in 2011 after the 2009 restoration? How about nicks, dings, blemishes? Is the paint anMGAcolor? Orient red in 59 I believe? What color was the car originally?

The car was repainted as part of the 2009 restoration. Although it was not painted an originalMGAcolor, the gentleman who restored chose to paint it what he called "Corvette Red." This seems to be a be a brighter, bolder shade of red. I prefer it to the Orient Red color. The previous owner is also responsible for painting the wire wheels dark, dark grey. I really like these wheels as they have more of a vintage British racing feel versus the shiny chrome wheels seen on mostMGA's and Austin Healy's. My records show that the actual color is BASF Diamont Red Match cmo593. I believe I still have a pint left. I don't have any photos of the car before painting by the previous owner, but believe the car was originally white. The repaint was spectacular. It still looks fantastic but has suffered 3 small (5mmx5mm tops) rock chips near the front grille and one small chip at the edge of the door panel. The repaint is now 7 years old, but looks fresh. The slight blemishes aside, there are no chips or streaking noticeable from anything more than 1' from the car. The car has been garaged the whole time I've had it and the paints still looks great.

I repainted the trunk and rear most body panel after the trunk suffered a break-in attempt with some kind of prying device. I live in downtown New Orleans and property crime is always an issue. There is no evidence of the break-in and the paint matches exactly. It looks as good as new.

There is evidence of an accident, although it seems to have happened long, long ago as the previous owner was not even aware of it. There is welded seam on inside of the engine compartment about 1/3 of the way back which leads me to believe theMGArear-ended someone. The welding and body work is so good, that I didn't even notice until last winter. It is entirelyimperceptiblefrom the outside, but can be seen if the hood is open. I don't see any evidence of rust on the body or the frame. It is almost 60 years old, so I am hesitant to say for sure, but relative to other British cars, thisMGAseems to havefaredvery well. I believe there is a carfax which shows the car spent it's late life in Southern Florida and then garaged in New Orleans. It came to Florida from Pennsylvaniawhere it was covered, but needed restoration. I don't have the carfax or I'd send it to you.

Do you have a WW spare? Tools?

Yes, alsoincluded would be the copper hammer for the knock off wheels, a jack, and the wire wheel spare. The spare was not painted dark grey to match the other wire wheels and remains a shade of lighter grey. It is the same type of wire wheel as the other 4. If you need some tools to make the journey home, I could include a ratchet wrench set and some screw drivers. I also have a couple of jack stands and wheel lifts I could throw in if you're interested.

Is there rust anywhere?

As I stated above, there is no visible rust on the body or undercarriage.

Has it ever overheated? Does it run hot?

The only problem I've ever had with reheating was in absolute standstill traffic in French Quarter during a parade in the New Orleans August summer heat last year. It still took about 20 minutes of idling in standstill traffic before the temperature starting edging above 212 degrees. I have never had an overheating problem other than that one day. As long as the outside temperature is less than 100 degrees and the car getting any kind of airflow and throttle, you won't have any overheating problems.

Have the engine and/or trans. been rebuilt? How are synchronizers? On downshift from 3rd to 2nd? Any scraping?

I have not rebuilt the engine or transmission and I don't believe the previous owner did either. The synchro’s are great and have no problems downshifting between 4th/3rd or 3rd/2nd. The 1st to 2nd gear is not synchronized in the 1959MGA, so it does scrape occasionally if you're not careful. I am careful and that's how the transmission was made, so it is not a problem for me. The engine and the transmission both run very strong.

Are the engine and trans, original to the car? Engine is 1600?

The engine is a 1600 engine, but I am not sure if it is original to the car. It does appear to be original. The same is true of the transmission.

Do you knowthe ownership history?

I only know the ownership history as described above. Like I said, I believe there is carfax data, but I don't have it handy. I only know what the previous owner told me in 2009. I have done my best to relay that information here.

Any leaking, smoking, oil consumption?

No, I've never had a problem with leaking, smoking, or oil consumption.

What doesn't work?

The radio does not work and has never worked under my ownership.

The tachometer doesn't work well and can be jumpy or completely inactive, but I just use the music of the engine revving to decide when to shift.

The parking brake activation mechanism is not working, but this isn't a problem where I live as it is very flat and I leave the car in gear if parked on an incline.

The gas gauge is a bit finicky as well. Generally, it shows full until you're close to empty, then it jumps to empty.

I believe that's it. All of the important components work well and it has been a great car to own. It has been a very tough decision to sell, but I am ready for a new classic.